The islands came under British control in the 19th century; independence was granted in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing.

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

11 00 N, 61 00 W

total: 5,128 sq km
land: 5,128 sq km
water: 0 sq km

0 km

362 km

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin

tropical; rainy season (June to December)

mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m

petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

arable land: 14.62%
permanent crops: 9.16%
other: 76.22% (2005)

40 sq km (2003)

outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms

water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion

Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt

1,065,842 (July 2006 est.)

0-14 years: 20.1% (male 109,936/female 104,076)
15-64 years: 71.3% (male 398,657/female 361,093)
65 years and over: 8.6% (male 41,162/female 50,918) (2006 est.)

total: 31.2 years
male: 30.8 years
female: 31.7 years (2006 est.)

-0.87% (2006 est.)

12.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

10.57 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

-11.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

total: 25.05 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26.86 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 23.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

total population: 66.76 years
male: 65.71 years
female: 67.86 years (2006 est.)

1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.)

3.2% (2003 est.)

29,000 (2003 est.)

1,900 (2003 est.)

noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)
adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian

Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census)

Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, other Christian 5.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census)

English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.6%
male: 99.1%
female: 98% (2003 est.)

conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago

parliamentary democracy

Port-of-Spain

9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, 1 ward
regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco
city corporations: Port-of-Spain, San Fernando
borough corporations: Arima, Point Fortin, Chaguanas
ward: Tobago

31 August 1962 (from UK)

Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

1 August 1976

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, 9 by the President, 6 by the opposition party for a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 October 2002 (next to be held by October 2007)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 55.5%, UNC 44.5%; seats by party - PNM 20, UNC 16
note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms; last election held January 2005; seats by party - PNM 11, DAC 1

Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Caribbean Court of Appeals member; Court of Appeals; the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London

Trinidad and Tobago, the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. Tourism is a growing sector, although not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from low inflation and a growing trade surplus. Prospects for growth in 2006 are good as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquefied natural gas are expected to remain high, and foreign direct investment continues to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.

$13.92 billion (2005 est.)

$13.45 billion (2005 est.)

7% (2005 est.)

$12,900 (2005 est.)

agriculture: 0.7%
industry: 57%
services: 42.3% (2005 est.)

620,000 (2005 est.)

agriculture 9.5%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, construction and utilities 12.4%, services 64.1% (1997 est.)

8% (2005 est.)

21% (1992 est.)

6.8% (2005 est.)

19% of GDP (2005 est.)

revenues: $4.5 billion
expenditures: $4.06 billion; including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (2005 est.)

41.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry

petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles

9% (2005 est.)

6.076 billion kWh (2003)

5.651 billion kWh (2003)

150,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

29,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

990 million bbl (1 January 2004)

24.7 billion cu m (2003 est.)

12.79 billion cu m (2003 est.)

11.79 billion cu m (2003 est.)

733 billion cu m (1 January 2004)

$3.27 billion (2005 est.)

$9.161 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers

US 67%, Jamaica 5.7%, France 3.6% (2004)

$6.011 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals

US 23.9%, Venezuela 11.5%, Germany 11.2%, Brazil 10.7%, Spain 6.4%, Italy 5.1% (2004)

$4.045 billion (2005 est.)

$2.986 billion (2005 est.)

$24 million (1999 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)

1 October - 30 September

321,300 (2004)

651,200 (2004)

general assessment: excellent international service; good local service
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana

AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2004)

6 (2005)

.tt

17,171 (2005)

160,000 (2005)

6 (2005)

total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2005)

total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2005)

condensate 253 km; gas 1,117 km; oil 478 km (2004)

total: 8,320 km
paved: 4,252 km
unpaved: 4,068 km (1999)

total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,671 GRT/2,749 DWT
by type: passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1
foreign-owned: 1 (US 1)
registered in other countries: 3 (Panama 1, unknown 2) (2005)

Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain

Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard (includes Air Wing) (2004)

Barbados will assert its claim before the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into its waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to challenge this boundary as it may extend into its waters as well

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis